Washing machine makes strong noise

All washing machines make some degree of noise, of course, this varies widely but the noise we’re talking about isn’t the soothing hum of a wash cycle. No, it’s a louder more irritating sound and one that can have several causes. At some point or another, we’ve all heard some strange sounds emanating from our washing machines. Squealing, screeching, banging, knocking, bumping, scratching and rumbling are the most common noises - if yours is making a sound other than that, you might want to have it checked out by a professional. Otherwise, fixing the problem yourself should be fairly straight forward.

Check the transportations bolts and remove them
Check the balance of your washing machine – level your machine
Check the load of your washing machine
Check the drum and clean the pump

1. Check the transportations bolts and remove them

Check whether the transportation bolts have been removed from the back of the appliance. If they haven't, you should remove these immediately and replace them with the blanks that came with your washing machine.

Removing the transit bolts

The appliance is secured for transportation using transit bolts on the rear of the appliance.

Extra-Tip: Keep the transit bolts, screws and sleeves in a safe place for future transport

You can find the position of the transit bolts at the rear of the washing machine as shown in the pictures below.

Step by step tutorial:

Person unscrewing the transit bolts of a washing machine

1. Remove the hose from the holders

Unscrew the transit bolts with a WAF 13 wrench.

Person removing all screws from the transit bolts of a washing machine

2. Remove all four screws.

Person removing all sleeves of the transit bolts of a washing machine

3. Remove the four sleeves.

4. Put on the four cover caps. Then press down on the four cover caps.

Extra-Tip: Check the placement of your washing machine.

The washing machine should be installed on suitable surface. Wooden floors are particularly unsuitable. Ideally install your washing machine in the corner of the room on a hard surface.

2. Check the balance of your washing machine – level your machine

Off-balance washers can result in loud thumping or knocking sounds, especially at high spin speeds.

To silence your machine, check the legs to ensure it’s evenly balanced and resting on a flat surface.

Ensure that the appliance is parallel to the ground by using a spirit level. If it is found not to be, adjust the feet accordingly and tighten them in place.

If possible, put the machine on again to see if this has resolved the problem.

Otherwise, continue troubleshooting.

The position of the the transit bolts you can find on the picture

The picture show the rear of washing machines / Mark all 4 positions of transit bolts = No 7 = trans bolts

Person loosening lock nuts at the base of a Bosch washing machine

1. Loosen the lock nuts using a WAF 17 wrench by turning it in a clockwise direction.

Person alligning a Bosch washing machine by turning the appliance feet

2. To align the appliance, turn the appliance feet.

3. Check that the appliance is level using a spirit level.
All appliance feet must stand firmly on the ground.

Person srewing the lock nuts of a washing machine

4. Screw the lock nuts tightly against the housing using a WAF 17 wrench. In doing so, hold the foot tight and do not adjust its height.

3. Check the load of your washing machine

If you notice bumps and bangs this is due to an undistributed load.

Open Bosch washing machine with a load of laundry in the drum

Heavy items can throw the washer off balance. Add some towels to help even out the weight.

Avoid overfilling the drum.

4. Check the drum and clean the pump

If there are rattling noises during the washing program, there might be some foreign objects in washing machine drum or in the drain pump. Please check the drum for objects which may get in the way of washing your clothes and then check the drain pump.

Have you checked the troubleshooting tips but the issue is still unresolved?

If you have followed the information above but you're still having problems with your Bosch washing machine then you might want to have it checked out by a Bosch service expert.